Imagine how bland life would be without herbs and spices. Chinese food without ginger. Thanksgiving dressing without sage. Ice cream without vanilla. How flat and colorless our menu would be without this rainbow of flavors.
To explore the remarkable world of herbs and spices, visit “Spice of Life,” the Garden’s current art exhibit, on display at the Madeline R. Samples Exhibit Hall. The exhibit displays 19 botanical illustrations from BRIT’s Arader Natural History Collection of Art dating from the sixteenth through the nineteenth centuries.
“The exhibit is an opportunity to see herbs and spices in a new way and appreciate the way they enrich our lives,” says BRIT Librarian Ana Niño.
A Brief History of Herbs and Spices
While herbs such as thyme (Thymus vulgaris) and basil (Ocimum basilicum) have been used by Western cooks for millennia, Eastern spices such as cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) were once rare and incredibly valuable in Europe.
For example, in ancient Rome, black pepper (Piper nigrum) was worth more than its weight in gold. The nobility of the Middle Ages reveled in the conspicuous consumption of spices, which were out of reach to all but the most wealthy. It’s a myth, by the way, that spices were used to cover the taste of spoiled meat. No amount of flavoring can disguise bad meat, and medieval Europeans liked spices because they were not only delicious but a way to flaunt high status.
Guests who want to learn
more about spices–or
explore the world of
botanical art–are
invited to register for
the following upcoming
Adult Education classes:
Drawing in the Garden:
BRIT Library Collections
Aug. 8, 9 – 11 am
Learning About Herbs:
Basil
Aug. 23, 6 – 8 pm
Desire for spices kickstarted the Age of Exploration and the era of colonialization that followed; Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492 in an attempt to find a shorter, less dangerous, less expensive route to the Spice Islands (today’s Maluku Islands.) In the 17th century, the Dutch cornered the market on nutmeg (Myristica peltata) when they seized control of the Banda islands, then the only place in the world the spice grew, and were able to sell the seed at a 7500 percent markup.
In time, the Dutch monopoly was broken, the cultivation of spices spread around the world and prices fell. “Today, spices are commonplace,” says Niño. “But it’s likely your ancestors would have looked at your spice cabinet and considered you rich beyond their wildest dreams.”
Herbs vs. Spices: What’s the Difference?
Botanically, herb is derived from the Latin herba, which translates to herb or grass. Most herbs are herbaceous plants, or plants with soft and succulent stems versus woody stems. In ordinary language, the word herb refers to any plant—herbaceous or woody—whose leaves, flowers, seeds, roots, bark, or other parts we use for flavor, fragrance, or medicines.
Spice comes from the Latin species, which means ally. Spices may be thought of as the complements of other substances. They are defined by how we use them and how they stimulate our senses. A spice can be any strongly flavored or aromatic substance obtained from seed, root, fruit, flower, or bark that is used in the same way as herbs.
Often, entire plants are referred to as herbs, while only parts of the plants are true spices. For example, cilantro leaves are an herb, but their coriander seeds are a spice. Also, herbs are typically used while fresh, and spices when dried.
Assembling the Exhibit: An Opportunity for Library Practicum Students
While guests will see the exhibit as an opportunity to learn more about spices, library science students saw it as opportunity to gain experience and build their resumes. Niño worked with three graduate-level library students working on their practicum–the fieldwork portion of their degree–to plan and organize the event.
Ally Muzyka of Dallas, a master’s of library and information science (MLIS) student from the University of Denver, developed the exhibit theme during her practicum in the fall of 2023. Reba Jenson of Dallas, also an MLIS student at the University of Denver, took over in Spring 2023 conducting research on each spice and developed the exhibit labels. Andrew Wolff of Fort Worth, a MLIS student at the University of North Texas joined Johnson to install the exhibit.
“This gives students an way to get experience planning and curating an exhibit,” says Niño. “Special collections libraries and archives often hold exhibits of curated materials, and it was great to give these students a taste of what that involves.”
Guests are welcome to visit the exhibit for free Monday through Friday, 10 am to 4 pm, at the Madeline R. Samples Exhibit Hall on the first floor of the BRIT Building. You’ll never take those little jars of spices for granted again.
